We'll be at Black Mountain for the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships. Speaking of champions we'll catch up with Maine's premier Downhill Skier Julie Parisien. And we'll look at the interesting life of Maine's first French Governor, Alonzo Garcelon.

This week's blog from Bill Green:

Show Number: 2011-1

Original air date: January 15, 2011

Hello, my friends. Here we go again! A new year and it's time to hit the road.

We'll start this week at Black Mountain in Rumford. The Chisholm Ski Club did a great job hosting the US National Cross Country Ski Championships.

http://www.skiblackmountain.org/

http://chisholmskiclub.org/

http://www.usskiteam.com/crosscountry/events/event?eventId=1042

The second segment is with Julie Parisien. I love Julie Parisien. One of the most intelligent athletes to ever appear on the scene, Julie is now in a very different role than she was when we started covering her 20 years ago.

She unquestionably put together Maine's greatest skiing resume. She won three World Cup races, a World Championship silver medal, another World Cup podium and fifteen top ten finishes.

Julie is now the married mother of four who teaches skiing at Mt Abrams and Lost Valley. She remains intensely interested in the sport.

You're from Maine. You're supposed to always check the ice before and while you are on it.

I did the Alonzo Garcelon story because people were saying Paul LePage was the second Franco-American Governor. LePage is the first. Garcelon was from a place with a Fench History, but it was Britiss for several hundred years before his grandfather James was born. James immigrated to the United States and the family ends up in Lewiston during the Revolutionary War. Alonzo Garcelon was born in Lewiston in 1813 and would think of himself as a Hugonaut, a very different French culture from what most historians consider Franco-American.

Thanks so much for tuning in. Here we go with year 12! I'm looking forward to it!